About last night …

Canadiens fans, let us draw solace on Sunday.
Not from the scriptures.
From the calendar.
For behold, it is April 14.
Hallelujah!
Were it April 28, loud would be the lamentations in Habland.
As it is, however, two weeks remain until the final game of the regular season – which the Canadiens will play in Toronto on April 27.
If they stink out the ACC again on that Saturday night … well, it will be time for some serious teeth-gnashing, nail-biting and panic button-pushing – especially if April 30 or May 1 is the date of Game 1 in a Montreal-Toronto playoff series.

So everyone chill out.

Mathieu Darche, on L’Antichambre, had a good description of what we saw at the ACC Saturday night: Humility Lesson 2.0.

Remember Feb. 9 at the Bell Centre? The Leafs won 6-0. The winning goal was scored 59 seconds into the game.

This time it took the Leafs almost two whole minutes to get on the board. With Francis Bouillon off for an accidental high-stick, a Canadiens penalty-kill that hadn’t surrendered a goal in seven games was torched within 18 seconds. Tyler Bozak completed a nifty passing play, and Carey Price had no chance on the goal.

The Canadiens’ goaltender was brutal, however, on goals by Leo Komarov and Jay McClement. The latter goal – the third on four Toronto shots – sent Price to the bench, an ignominy he had avoided in that early February loss.

David Drewiske’s goal briefly ignited hopes for a Canadiens comeback, but Dion Phaneuf scored on the first SoG Budaj faced.

Toronto defenceman Mark Fraser blocked three shots during the first period – two more than Price and Budaj combined.

It was that kind of a night.

It happens. You just wish it didn’t happen twice against Toronto in a truncated season.

And you wish it wouldn’t happen to Carey Price against a team the Canadiens might be facing in the first round of the playoffs. Or against James Reimer, who is lifetime 4-2 with two shutouts against the Canadiens.

Move over, Martin Brodeur. make way for James F. Reimer.

In his postgame remarks, Michel Therrien gave his goaltender a vote of confidence. Price has character, the coach said.

“I’m not concerned,” Therrien added. “He’s the kind of athlete who will bounce back.”

Price might have a shot at redemption in that April 27 game. The Eastern Conference standings will determine the significance of Game 48.

If the Canadiens are sitting fourth and the Leafs fifth, the game is a bona-fide playoff preview. And the pressure on Price will be enormous.

He is 11-11-1 against Toronto. Heading into a first-round series, Price has to prove he can beat the Leafs.

But if it’s a nothing game, maybe Budaj starts.

We’ve got two weeks to chew that over. The Canadiens followed that 6-0 loss to the Leafs with five straight wins, but this time they face a very tough schedule.

The game in Toronto was the first of five in eight nights. This is a physical test for the Canadiens, and Brandon Prust got banged-up in Toronto.

The Leafs lead the NHL in hits (and fights), and they laid 47 of them on the Canadiens. Every player in a blue jersey, except Phil Kessel, had a hit; and Ryan O’Byrne had SEVEN. That’s five more than Drewiske, the Canadiens late-season acquisition.

Vincent Damphpusse, on L’Antichambre, described the Canadiens’ effort as “tour croche”, which translates roughly as “f—ed up”. The former Habs captain knocked their lack of emotion, their tendency to give the Leafs odd-man rushes, their failure to be first on the puck.

But for all that, the Canadiens had a 13-5 shot advantage in the first period. With any kind of goaltending …

Down 4-1, however, it was all over but the crying. And the lacuna Damphousse highlighted were much in evidence. The Leafs had a 4-on-1 rush, for cryin’ out loud … and they didn’t score.

Contrast the s–it show in TO with Tampa Bay’s visit to Washington. Down 5-1 five minutes into the second period – as were the Canadiens – the Lightning outshot the Caps 32-14 over 40 minutes and scored four unanswered goals to send the game to overtime. Vincent Lecavalier took a slashing penalty in OT, opening the door for a Mike Green goal that ended it.

The last 40 minutes in Toronto weren’t quite that thrilling.

Maybe the Canadiens were complacent. Their win in Buffalo sewed up a playoff spot. And they didn’t know it while the game was on, but the Canadiens’ loss didn’t cost them first place in the Northeast, as Boston were on their way to a loss in Carolina.

Carolina had 17 shots in the first period, and Tuukka Rask stopped 16 of them. Justin Peters faced four Boston shots, the second of which beat him.

The Leafs play the type of game that wears down a team small/passive team like Montreal after each whistle.The constant pushing and shoving and scrumming can take the good out the hab’s small forwards.

That Kadri is a real ass as well.What a puke.He’ll certainly get what’s coming to him eventually.Mr.tough guy indeed.

once again i don’t think anyone here has a problem when PK or emelin step up to hit people. Both kadri hits deserved penalties; although only one got one. Habs problem was they couldn’t reply with a PP goal. team played played soft after…. i mean you can’t let people push you around so push back a bit with some heavy hits, get mean send a small message that the battle might be lost but not the war…something…

moen has been a huge disappointment for me this year. you’re not being paid to be pretty and score so try hitting once in a while and help out your team

The Habs scoring has been spread out all year…This has worked but it would be nice to have at least one more elite goal scorer on the team..
approx goal scoring based on a full season
Ryder 32
Plecks 27
Gion 22
Maxpac 23
DD 18
Gallagher 26
Bourque 25
Eller 13
Galch 12

So the reality is (i know do not cap scoring as one poster likes to state) that the forwards(minus the first year players) have pretty well produced what most people would project for them based on past performance and watching them play…So beyond having a year where everything goes in the goal scoring range for the above forwards(MINUS THE NEW PLAYERS) will be about what we see plus or minus 4/5 goals…

HiS – It’s too bad LL had that injury, it has certainly set him back.
I don’t know if you can go back to university hockey, if that is possible, may be it would be good for him, but it would also behoove him to stay with the Dogs and bounce back next season after recovering and training over the summer.

but wait, 1st round picks are always can’t miss. Junior is better for development than ncaa.

lots of statements from posters over the years about this and guess what, being drafted in the first round means nothing. hope LL can find a way to crack the NHL but very doubtful it will be with the habs.

he was never that good or high or a prospect. Wait until tinordi comes back. habs fans have this view of him being a great shut down D. however, from the games i saw him play in mtl and in hamilton, he better work on his speed because he doesn’t have nhl speed to defend against top attackers in the nhl.

I never thought his skating was bad. He looked good last year. His biggest problem is his weight and strength. He needs to bulk up to be able to survive pro hockey. Gally may be small but he is built…LL needs to do the same. You don’t get that from Harvard.

size is only an issue when you don’t have a good enough skill set (let alone lacking a ahl skill set). kadri is 185, he didn’t have a problem hitting a much bigger lars eller.(granting it was boarding)

Louis can’t go back to University… Once you go pro, there is no going back to NCAA hockey.

I’m sure he’ll be back with the Bulldogs.

As for Louis, his season started poorly, he got hurt, and never seemed to get momentum. I think his season in many ways is a microcosm of what the entire Habs team went through in 2011-12, he probably would be best with the summer off and a fresh start.

I’m not saying he’s still injured. It absolutely is a between the ears issue.

And thats why I think Leblanc needs a fresh start. He probably needs time away from hockey just to recharge. He just can’t seem to get anything going this year no matter how hard he tries.

Much like the last couple monthes of the 2011-12 Habs season when most of our team went through the motions… LL seems to be going through the motions right now, just waiting for a nightmare season to end.

If he wants to become a NHL regular, he will need to dedicate himself to being a gym rat this off season. He needs to put on 10-15 lbs of muscle. He has had several off seasons to bulk up yet he shows up to training camp looking like a 12 year old girl.

Valeri Kharlamov was arguably, the most talented player on EITHER side during the Soviet Canada Summit series of 1972. Which is why Bobby Clarke was instructed to take him out with a vicious 2 hander,breaking his ankle. This led,in no small way,to Canada winning the series.

Can you imagine the uproar in Canada,if one of the Soviet players,such as Alexander Ragulin,had done the same thing to Phil Esposito,leading to the Soviets winning the Series?

Interesting.
It’s well known that Kharlamov exited the ’72 series after his ankle was broken, but this is the first time I have seen or heard that ” Clarke was instructed to take him out … “.
– Got details of that instruction ?

I would certainly be after him. He’s a big forward, who can play centre or wing, and is the type of player missing in our system. I had him as the top forward available when I looked at the College Kids a couple weeks ago.

Why the Habs wouldn’t be interested, I don’t know. Maybe their scouts are seeing something I’m not, or maybe his reps have made it clear to the Habs not to bother trying to sign him. Its all just speculation though, as I would have thought most NHL teams would give him at least a look.

Lets remember on these college kids though that there will likely be 10-20 signed every year, and maybe 2-3 of them will actually be productive NHL players….. maybe 1 in ten years a star. I’m not sure if I would compare him to a Lecavalier, that seems a little lofty. I would more look at him as starting in the AHL and possibly developping into a 2nd/3rd liner.

Jackal: If you watched the same game as I watched between the Leafs and Habs last night it wasns’t luck. it was being in the right place at the right time against a Goalie that couldn’t stop a Beach Ball in the 1st period. That’s about all that needs to be said.

We don’t have to trade the whole team or look for a new goalie. Mr. Price played a bad period of Hockey and the leafs used their toughness along with good goal tending to keep us off the score board there on in. That’s it.

So luck then. Right place, right time – what else do you call that but fortune, coincidence, etc. vs. a goalie who happened to have a freak night – the aligning of beneficial factors aided the opponent in a way that is certainly outside of the ordinary.

Leafs had a luck definitely going for them in the first period as how teams score 4 goals on five shots taken in one period & considering the first period is usually Habs best period of the game for most of the season……

Ask yourself one question, which Canadien dynasty was the best, was it the 50’s, 60’s or 76 to 79.

Some would say the 76 to 79 version. I would not disagree, but it could be argued.

The 76-79 version lost over 4 seasons 46 games and averaged 11 ties. How could that be that one of the greatest Canadiens teams made up of hall of famers could lose 46 games with Dryden in net for most of those games.

Could it be that all teams have a bad game and all goalies no matter how great have average, sub par, poor games.

The answer has to be ‘yes’ other wise they would never lose with those kinds of players in the line-up.

Last night ‘Price’ had a poor night, it happens folks. Everyone has a poor performance in them, whether you are golfing, playing tennis or hitting a baseball. It just happens and when you get behind it is hard to climb back up.

Yankees had some of the best baseball players in the world and still managed to lose a few.

So really, is it a surprise when your favorite team comes up short and loses a game. The tight schedule means anyone can win on any given night. They played a great game in Buffalo, and Buffalo could not get going at all. They got humbled in Toronto, that can be a good thing.

If a loss means you start considering trading your players (goalie?) then the 70’s would never have happened. You cannot be so fickle and excitable that a loss sends you into a spin.

The next few games will tell the story……even Boston got beat by Carolina, it happens people, try to keep things in perspective.

So from the look of many posts, it seems as if I am not the only one here who is attributing the loss to “luck.”

Some posters may not want to acknowledge that for whatever reason, maybe they feel better knowing that their team lost to a team that was better, or something like that. But the truth is that when a team scores 4 goals on 5 shots, that is lucky – that almost never happens. Not to mention that they were out-played and out-possessed yet still came out on top, again, that is usually not the case.

Are the laffs good? They are not bad, but most of their wins have been the result of favourable conditions. Case in point: their mini-series vs. Boston and NYR. Laffs got their scoring on in the games they won, but they cannot rely on it consistently enough to win the next game. B’s and NYR tightened up and did not let the laffs take many shots. The laffs folded lost the second game of those series.

When you go down by 3 in the first 10 minutes, it is hard to come back from. Dominating and being down by that much is mentally frustrating, but it is not something that happens. The boys tried to come back and almost got goal #2 – that would have sent the laffs packing. You could see after they scored that they were roaring back and the laffs were on the ropes, but got another BS goal on their first shot against Budaj.

How many times do goalies give up a goal on their first shot against? That does not happen often, it is not something that can be designed as a game plan.

In other words, the laffs got the lucky bounces to start and were up by 3 despite being dominated.

Maybe some don’t want to admit that, but that’s what happened.
Price could have been better, Budaj could have stopped the first shot he faced, but as we know, that is something they do basically every game. Aberration is the operative word when describing last night’s game.

I can’t bring myself to be more respectful after their goon show. That is unsportsmanlike and disgusting. The behaved like pukes and their fans reveled in it. If I saw the Habs play like that, I’d be ashamed.

When I get over it, I will go back to the usual name, but to me they will always be laughable.
______________________
Hockey sine stercore tauri.

The Leafs certainly had some luck last night, while we couldn’t catch a break. However, I think many here are too willing to attribute the Leafs’ success this year to luck. I hear talk about an unsustainably high shooting percentage that is bound to regress to the mean, about “lucky” goals that no other team would score on such a regular basis, etc.

All I can say about these arguments is that I hope the Habs are not thinking this way. They’ve been stomped twice by the Leafs this season; if they go into the next game without respecting their opponent, feeling that that opponent has simply been “lucky,” they’ll probably get stomped again.

I really don’t think the kind of “luck” people are attributing to the Leafs could endure for most of a season. I doubt the Leafs are luckier or unluckier than any other team; every team has games where they get the bounces or the calls or whatever and games where they don’t. The Leafs are a good team. Where they are better than the Habs at present is in making, more often than not, the most of their scoring opportunities. We tend not to. We hit the post, miss open nets, whiff on the shot and so on. Last night, even after Price’s disastrous start, we could have made the game close if we had cashed in on a couple of opportunities. The loss is clearly on Price, but the Habs need to be more opportunistic.

Price had a bad first few minutes and they had to play from behind, the leafs were then able to dictate the game.

Did you honestly think Leafs were going to let Gallagher set up shop in the blue ice, face it this will not happen in the playoffs with any team.

Did the fight really make any sense, it was pointless in my opinion.

Boston lost to Carolina, what do you make of that?

Everyone loses to someone, nobody wins all the time. Price will be back and the Canadiens have to realize they were ‘humbled’ and that can be a good thing. Losing is not always bad, being embarrassed in not always bad. Brodeur has had his share of poorly played games and bounced back, just like Price will.

You want a perfect season, you want it, but you cannot have it. Nobody is perfect, just think of the times, if you have ever participated in a sport where you just didn’t have it. It happens in baseball when the great pitcher does not have his best stuff and is beaten.

let me get this straight, every team get’s tougher in the playoffs, and we’re as soft as dough? does that mean come playoffs we could possibly have a tough outer crust, like say, a bagel? well let’s see how these Bagel Habs do in the playoffs

2008 we were 8-0 vs the Bruins…. didn’t seem to matter in the Playoffs as it became a hardfought 7 game series.

The Sens routinely used to dominate the Leafs in the regular season, but the Leafs would beat them in the playoffs. One year the Sens went 7-1 vs the Leafs in the season, and lost 4 straight in the playoffs.

The Bruins dominated the Canes in 2009, but the Canes beat them in the playoffs.

In all of the above examples there were multiple regular season blowouts.

I wonder who we could get in return for Price in the off season? Not that we should trade Price, but just as a question? Price has been a headcase the whole time he’s been with the habs. When will he ever win a big game worth winning? What is this buckling under and letting in three goals in four shots? A bad night is a bad night but that was just pathetic!

The last time the Leafs shellacked the Habs 6-0, it was a turning point for the team because they realized that when they get away from their system and team hockey, it could turn into 2012 again very quickly. There was a 100% buy-in into the system after that game and they have become an elite team.

I really hope the latest trip to the woodshed at the hands of the Leafs will have the same effect on Carey Price. I hope that any bad fundamentals that have crept into his game can get sorted out before the playoffs. If this game results in Carey finding the next level to his game, then it will have been worth it. I am glad he got the wake up call now instead of in the playoffs so that he can sort it out.

Can someone explain why Therrien is so stubborn and doesn’t want to break up Pacioretty and Desharnais. Fine, he loves them, so don’t take away theire ice time, but why not try them with other players?

So explain to stupid little me why? I am just baffled. Or are you suggesting they are playing well?

Oh, and that first place BS… reminds me of the Carbo days. Habs were first and still got promptly trounced in the second round. Who remembers that they were first? Only the Habs fans who’ve been waiting for the cup for the past 20 years. If the stanley cup was awarded for finishing first in the conference or division, sure, great. But it isn’t so who gives rats ass where they finish in the standings?

Makes absolutely no sense to me. I think they are the only two players that have not been separated all season! They’ve had 40 games together to work things out, clearly it isn’t going to work. Time to try something new

I believe in an interview he said that he doesn’t like to juggle lines a lot, and that when he does, he tries to keep twosomes together and tweak the line with the third player. I would like to see some different looks also but that can also be risky.

He was drafted by Burke but you forgot to add that he hated the laffs so we turned on them and went to explore the Indian highlands and other parts of the British former empire (keeping with the contemporary context) and to write a great book called Kim.

😀 Seems to be a lot of that going around. Went into my bathroom this morning to find the latest Hockey News with Price on the cover that was on the back of my toilet,crumpled up in the garbage can with what appears to be urine on it.
Maybe i should get some new friends but man they sure keep me entertained.

Thank you in advance. You are usually a very realistic poster so forgive me asking that you look at our prospects in as ‘un-fan’ a mode as possible. Maybe pay special attention to possible Tinordi, Bournival and newcomers Colberg and Kristo. Also Hudon and LeBlanc. Thank you.

Bruins aren’t tough anymore. Thornton lost his Mojo when he got that Conky from John Scott.Chara lost Mojo to Emelin and Lucy has turned Vegan I think. Guys are even running Rat Boy and Bergeron for ch*st sakes. They are done,kaput and finito amigos.

Which means the division should be ours… Which means that we won’t face the Leafs but rather the Rangers or Isles… Which means I should be following those two teams more carefully instead of checking on the over-hyped, over-covered, CBC poster-boy Laffs every couple of days.

However I don’t believe that this led to more runs at their players. We have to remember that they were plenty tough when Bergeron got run from behind by the Flyers and missed a full season, when Savard got hit by Cooke and basically ended his career (yes there was a comeback and another concussion after it), and when Horton was given a concussion in the SCF, and again last year.

…only just now realized that da Weeds were playing without Lupul during last night’s Armageddon …ouefff ! …as they say en francais

…da Weeds’ ace in the hole is Randy Carlyle …he is building and mixing the same formula that won Anaheim a Cup

…da Weeds won’t win a Cup, but best to respect they will be a tough opponent for any team that plays them …opportunistic skill and speed protected by a good balance of young muscle

…Carlyle as I mentioned last night is making a silk (polyester ?) purse out of pigs’ ears

…I think if Therrien uses Our deeper depth of speed and skill plus those that are physically robust to be better prepared for da Weeds’ game We should prevail

…Carey though has to respond to I’m sure His sense of responsibility to His Team-mates …Carey is very respected in the room, and I know He feels He let Them down …this humbling experience may be good timing to make Him realize He must be more focused and ‘wired’ psychologically

…losing to the Farts of Beantown is one thing, but losing to da Turds in Turdranna is 1000 times worse

Call me a nutty homer, but you are giving Carlyle too much credit.
The weeds have been getting by on luck in most of their wins. They are constantly out-shot and out-possessed, and seem to score on the weakest of chances.
Sure, they are a decent team, but they are not as good as their record or results suggest.
Carlyle is a stupid dinosaur who likes the dirty and cheap play – it is no way to go about playing this game.
The B’s are though, sometimes dirty, but the weeds are plain cheap, and it does not really help them anyway. That is the most annoying thing, they are classless and take runs at players when the score is up.

I’m not one for fighting or pugilism in the game, but since it is a part of it, I am finally convinced we could use a Lucy or a bigger Prust to tell these morons they can’t run around taking cheap shots. It may not prevent them, but someone has to be willing to step up like Frankie did last game. The Habs are obviously frustrated and too busy trying to come back, as well as deflated. Too bad, because they are the better team.
Thank god Boston lost.

Well, it is annoying when it is a big factor in a loss, but it is true. You don’t shoot at 80% in one period and not be lucky. On the other hand, you don’t dominate like that Habs did not usually come out on top.
I get you are even-handed in your view, but the laffs are smoke and mirrors. I don’t respect them and never will. They are too overhyped and entitled to whatever they get for me to really give them any props. They may have a decent lineup but they are not going to surprise anyone in the playoffs.
If that even happens, I will eat my hat and leave the end result at the entrance to the ACC, in a brown paper bag, that will be on fire.

Completely agree. Some just don´t want to admit that luck is a big factor in hockey. The difference yesterday between both teams was luck and goaltending. Nothing more.

People are desperately trying to find explanations where are none. In 2010 we played great D, had fantastic goaltending and made it to the Conference finals. Still we needed our share of luck to beat two more talented teams.

Once we ran out of luck we had no chance against the Flyers. When the Leafs run out of luck they´ll have an even smaller chance to win a playoff series.

I agree! I am surprised at the Jackal easy dismissal of the Leaf’s play. Having said that, I woudnt mind facing them first round of the playoffs NOW. If the HABS are to face the Leafs in Round 1 and the coaches and management(including any ex players who can help) cannot instill the will and confidence and resolute and purposeful game-plan and the players cannot respond fully… after our season’s up and downs against them… then we aint deserving of playoffs success.

So get ready for them.. coach and execute on each shift in each game and let the results follow.. whatever they may be. But absolutely start with the preamble that there is no ‘luck’ involved.. just hard work and courage.

Also, HiS: meant to thank you last night for the personal history lesson and video clips. Although I’m no spring chicken either, your experience of the Habs starts in an era I can only read about (so far Dick Irvin’s The Habs is my favourite: any rivals?). May we meet some day — I’d love to hear it all.

Finally, about Carlysle’s Leafs: Yes, he’s Ducking them; but with Price in normal form, and we go up 2-3 goals, they can’t play with us.

It has been suggested here that Montreal didn’t respect the Leafs pre-game. I doubt that’s true, and certainly hope it isn’t, even though we are by a long way the better team.

… Dick Irving is the font of detail on the Habs Mike, You won’t do better …though Robert Lefebvre (founder of the EOTP web site) recently wrote a book on the Habs’ history …I haven’t read it yet, but must be an interesting read

…once I listened to PJ Stock’s pre-game gushing on the Habs on the HNIC panel last night, I knew We were dooooomed ! 🙂

…not sure it was disrespect for da Weeds by Our Habs after the thumping We gave them, but certainly after dominating a hollowed-out Sabres team and the hype in Turdranna I think We were not as prepared as We (Carey ???) should have been

…Our Guys have got to realize the import of the Turdranna/Montreal rivalry more seriously, and I don’t think it’s as set in Their heads as it is the Turds

All i can say about last nights games is that was over after the first 4 shots. Team deflated. Probably flashbacks to the 6-0 game and thinking the same thing i was,”oh no,not again.”
That being said i think i would like to see Ryder back with Plex and possibly Bourque with DD, and Gally with Eller on the kids line.
If Moen is gonna play that disinterested bring back White for a few games.
I never thought i’d say i miss Armstrong but his responsible play with the puck and calming influence are missed right now,especially with our depleted D. It’s good to have a forward with his back checking skills.
And we sure miss Emelin,definitely a cog to our machine that cannot be replaced.
Don’t look now but we are playing .500 hockey going down the stretch since those 2 injuries. It was bound to happen sometime in this short season and hopefully they get things figured out,and hopefully soon.

I think some people forget that Price was fantastic in the first half of the season. He was a big part of our success and had he not posted those numbers early on I’m not sure we would’ve gained the momentum to be where we are today.

Can’t argue that he has been inconsistent the second half of the season. He’s had a few good games and a few stinkers. Obviously the last 17 starts have given us a reason to start doubting him, however we have all seen what he can do when he is on his game and I think that is the Carey we will see come playoff time. The last time we were in the playoffs Price had a .934 SV% with 2 shutouts against the eventual cup champs. No reason why that Carey Price won’t show up come playoff time!

I was thinking that, too. Then sometimes I wonder, when we talk about an opposing goalie or another team or a particular arena as being in their heads, isn’t it possible that it’s only a projection of something that’s in OUR heads?! To be sure, players are not immune to that stuff, but they are professionals.

Before last week, the Sabres were another team we felt were in their heads. So we laid that to rest, and we have a chance soon with the Islanders. The Leafs — only if Apr 27 has significance in the standings, or else in the playoffs if fate throws us together.

The last time the Habs and Leafs met, the Habs won 5-2 fair and square. So, in that light, 5-1 under what we hope are rare circumstances doesn’t appear to be the apocalypse that we all project it to be.

The Habs have one more game against the Leafs at the end of the season. If the Habs are not fighting for first, I hope MT dresses an “AHL” line-up and gives important players a night off (e.g., Markov).

In your list of keepers I think Luongo might have the edge at this point. I’d take Price because of his age but If Luongo ever gets out of Vancouver I think he’ll be real hungry to win. The Canucks fans are idiots for wanting him run out of town. IMO. Hope it doesn’t ever get ugly with Price and the fans and media here.

The Dude does! Other than the biggest Price haters around I don’t think anyone can rationally believe that Budaj gives us a better chance of going deep in the playoffs than Price. Budaj has been extremely solid this year, he’s won the games he’s supposed to win and he’s been good on the occasional time when Price gets pulled. However the majority of his wins come against non-playoff teams and if you look at his stats when he was a starter the highest SV% he ever had was .905 (which happens to be Price’s SV% in his worst year as a starter).

When Price is on his game it is hard to argue that he isn’t amongst the league’s best. The issue is finding consistency and being on his game more often. Overall he has been solid this season and if he can take his game to that next level that we saw in 10-11 we will be a force in the playoffs.

make all the excuses you want for the Habs. The have one problem and I’ll explain at the end. Last night Price had a bad game. How good is price? I don’t know and neither do you. He hasn’t proved anything. He’s won Games and he’s loss games but I don’t remember that he’s stole any games or if he’s capable. Until he does. He’s only a good goalie as far as I am Concerned

He’s got a pretty good team in front of him and he has to steal a game here and there for them. How many times have they bailed him out. anyway that’s all I have to say about that.

Back to the one problem the Habs have “They’re too soft”
Toronto has 8-players under 200lb on their team
Montreal has 10-players under 200lb not that much difference.
So why can they push us around so easy? Easy answer. We don’t play tough. We can beat the soft teams like us and on occasions we beat the odd tough team if they don’t come to play. If we don’t play tougher. It will be a short run in the playoffs ….

Last night stunk! Now i must endure the wrath of these narrowminded Leafs fans, price i must pay living amongst them.
I will take pride in the fact that we have risen from 27th overall to 4th in one season.
Glad we have booked our ticket to the dance, and when it comes time to dance, we will!

P.S As it stands right now we have: a 26th, a 33rd (Cal), a 37th (Nas), a 57th, a 75th (Dal), a 87th draft picks in the first 3 rounds.
Now that makes me feel better today!

I think most of the “horrible outings” this season have been lousy team efforts. Price lets in some stinkers on a quasi-regular basis, but most of the bad losses can be attributed to defensive lapses and/or a general lack of conviction on the part of the skaters.

Last night, Price was the goat for sure, but that hasn’t been the case for the majority of their losses.

Yeah you’re right, they were still in it at 3-0 and 3-1, in fact still dominating.

I mentioned the first 3 because I felt like the second and third goals were by far the most “stoppable”. Those two seemed to go right through Price. The first and fourth were stoppable also, but those would have been tougher saves, IMO. The first was a lateral play and the fourth was through a screen.

But yeah, either way, the killer was the deficit itself. Take away even one of those goals and it’s still a game in the second.

Would add: dominating a game or period but ending up substantially down in the score creates a very particular (and difficult) psychological situation. Last night the Habs looked just as dumbstruck as were we lowly fans, as though they never considered preparing themselves to respond to such a situation.

Some might call the Habs mentally weak, but my impression is that, even for professional athletes, putting in a very solid effort during the first period, but still being down 4 goals on 5 shots was EXTREMELY disconcerting, and they were somewhat shellshocked.

Points………..57, We are in 4th. Last week 55 for 3rd.
Goals For….128, We are in 6th. Last week 120 for 3rd.
Goals A…….100, We are in 5th. Last week 91 for 4th.
Goal Diff……+28, We are in 5th. Last week +29 for 3rd.

I touched on earlier about how apparently Marc Bergevin was trying to add a big forward to the team before the trade deadline but couldn’t make a deal. The names floated were Mike Rupp and Kyle Clifford, and who I’m somewhat familiar with, and Bryan Bickell, who I’d never really heard of.

Well Bryan Bickell just scored for the Blackhawks against Brian Elliot, in not a great display of skill, since it was just a tap-in, but he still was in the right position while going to the net.

Going to hockeydb.com, we see the guy is 6’4″ and 225, so he would have added a size dimension sorely missing from our roster, and our immediate prospects. He scored 20 goals and racked up 76 PIM in his draft year in 2004 for the 67’s, and was picked up in the second round by Chicago. His final year of junior he potted 45 goals and 83 points, but never broke the 20 goal mark in the pros.

Not sure how much a player like this is worth, but I would guess that the ‘Hawks value him highly, the broadcast crew on NBC have touched on how they are not as big as the Blues, how they have more skill with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa, but can be worn down by physical play. They wouldn’t have just given him away, unless there were problems.

I guess the trick is to identify a team that has a lot of big tough wingers in their system, and need something that we have too much of, say a slick puck-moving defenceman, but that will have to wait until the offseason at the earliest. To accomplish a trade like this, you need to know not only your own roster well, but have good pro scouting and knowledge of other teams. This is where the stronger management team we have in place, with prior experience with various teams and in other divisions, can be put to good use.

The gold standard in such trades is the trade Calgary pulled off for Mikka Kiprusoff, when he was stuck behind Evgeni Nabokov and Vesa Toskala on the depth chart of the Sharks. Darryl Sutter had just come over from the Sharks organization, and he knew the talent the young goalie had, and how the Sharks might feel set in goal and be willing to trade him. They got him for a second-round pick, a steal.

What we need to do is identify the player in the league or AHL who isn’t getting the opportunity to prove himself because of a logjam ahead of him, but who would thrive with the Canadiens, playing a role that is currently vacant, the Mario Tremblay/Yvon Lambert/Mike McPhee role. We would then match up that team’s needs with what we have a surplus of.

These deals will get easier to make as our farm team gets better. While we still have a ways to go, already we’re seeing such a situation with our defencemen, with Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi, Greg Pateryn, Morgan Ellis already in Hamilton and developing, and Magnus Nygren and Darren Dietz and more on the way. At some point, we’ll have a wealth of NHL-ready defencemen, and be able to trade some of those pieces for others we need.

Exactly what MB is doing. He is being patient with a team that finished last last year. He is building an asset base. If this year’s draft goes as well as last year’s, the Habs will be set for a decade. Good on you for mentioning Bickell. He is exactly the type of player MB will target this summer. Clarkson and him would do wonders…

I think I am known as a supporter of Price, who believes he has the talent to dominate and I have made that clear on this site. But this isn’t one of those games where you could find excuses for him. Forget that he didn’t bail his team out (which is what you expect from a great goaltender), he didn’t even give them a chance with the 2nd and 3rd goals.

On a night like this, Price leaves us little argument against those who have always doubted him. It’s true that he’s been reliable, but really not spectacular this year, except in a couple of games. There is reason to doubt he will be dominant come playoffs time…

Carey is a Canadian boy who knew how big this game was all across the country, with the two teams pretty much on a collision course towards the playoffs. Plus, he had been lit up by the Leafs before, so no way he wasn’t up for this one. Either the pressure is getting to him or something is wrong with him physically. The team needs to find out.

This is a league where most goalies are playing well right now and big name goalies don’t guarantee stellar performances in the playoffs, as the past few years have shown. Even with Price playing well, we could run into this year’s Niemi or Quick, playing this poorly we might as well start thinking about next year.

I like Price, I’m hoping he can bounce back before the end of the regular season. Otherwise, he’ll have way too much pressure to deal with, at home, for game 1 of the playoffs.

And if you’re going to make any noise once in the playoffs, Budaj isn’t the answer. Maybe this new loss and the deserved benching will light a fire under Price’s bottom.

The only thing we can say is that it was, bar none, the worst game of Price’s career. In that way, I don’t expect a repeat. And secondly, he’s not the only goalie to ever have a rough night. In fact, every goalie has been there.

Agreed. On this one, there’s no need to be pro- or anti-Carey, as you touch on. Yes, it was just a bad game that needs to be taken in context of a whole season, but we can’t not discuss the bad game. The simple fact is that at his level of experience, and at his paygrade, Carey needs to do better in ‘big’ games against divisional rivals. The recent game against the Bruins also puts this one through an unflattering prism.

I will repeat though that there’s no lesson or decision to be made, we’re committed to Carey, and we know it, and he knows it, and he knows he needs to do better, so I’m not going to harp on it.

I think we’re in complete agreement. Acknowledging a horrible performance by Price does not say he’s not good enough overall to be our Nb 1 goalie. But those of us who believe he is a great goalie needs to be consistent in admitting that one like him should do much better in high-stake games like last night against a division rival.

By the way UCE, did not had a chance to say it before today-welcome back!

A big no to signing Horton as a free agent. He is one of the biggest p&ssys in the league. He never fought or hit anyone in Florida and only become tough when Lucic and Chara were standing beside him. Now with concussions, he has returned to being a p$ssy.

@NightRyder I was curious to see how some other good goaltenders have fared in terms of consistency using your metric of games with a SV% at or over 0.925 and at or under .900. I looked at Lundqvist, Rinne, Luongo and Brodeur when they were Price’s age because it seems to me like a goalie’s prime is his late twenties and early 30s when they are fully matured and I have heard as much from analysts and experts.

At Price’s age Lundqvist had 33 games with a SV% over 0.925 and 28 games under .900

Rinne: 25 over 0.925, 19 under 0.900
Luongo: 33 over 0.925 and 29 under 0.900
Brodeur: 38 over 0.925 and 21 under 0.900

This is just an arbitrary list but I decided to take a few goalies who are (or in Luongo’s case were) considered elite and Brodeur who I believe is arguably the best all time. Brodeur seems to be the only one with a wide margin between games over 0.925 and games under .900. The other 3, just like Price right now, had almost as many games under .900 as they did with great save percentages over 0.925.

Wasn’t too down on the habs the day after. Put in perspective, we have earned an “x” to the playoffs with 8 games in hand – a feat not anticipated (let alone to even making the playoffs) before the season started. We have no stud superstars in scoring, yet as a team have rank 5th in GF. We rank 6th in GA, so how can those of you possibly doubt Price’s contribution? We have stable management for the first time since I could remember, and personnel that are actually planning to make the habs a powerhouse for years to come.
Don’t let one game or even one team (especially the laffs) tarnish what it means to be a habs fan. We are no longer a team outside looking in. History says we are the best team in the world!

I for one don’t mind a good shalacking right about now. It’s a great wake up call before the playoffs start. It sucks that it had to be against T.O but it worked out for us the last time they beat us.

The one thing that absolutely drives me nuts is the lack of emotion the habs show sometimes. Ok im not expecting a brawl out of our guys but come on show a little grit even in loss. When Gally is the only guy who seems to care, we got a problem. This is where a guy like Gionta as a captain isn’t gonna cut it for us.

This guy leads by scoring and some leadership in the dressing room but when the going gets tough, i don’t think he rallies the team that much.

I’m worried about the lack of pride some of our key players show when some adversity is front and center. Moen to me looks absolutely complacent playing for this team. Yes he kills penalties, yes he only plays like 10 mins a game but these qualities can easily be replaced by a hungry waiver wire pick up a la Halpern who coincidentally seems to be one of the only guys who looks Playoff ready. The others not quite so much.

Now i got that off my chest, i don’t think the sky is falling and we should trade the entire team. One thing i would like to see is a team that if your gonna lose, lose with some pride and leave an impression that next time won’t be so easy. I know Prust will bring it, Gally is gonna bring it, i think subban showed a tiny bit with that snow shower that cost him a penalty but you know what it was nice to see a little life out of someone for a change.

Get mad, show some emotion! If it were a loss to Florida i wouldn’t even bat an eye. Bad game, it happens, let it go, get ready for the next one. Against Toronto, the same doesn’t apply. This isn’t just another game. This is true rivalry at its best, either you get with the program or you shouldn’t be playing for us.

Now, im starting to see a trend here that is looking worse and worse every time. The Habs are starting to get that inferiority complex with the Leafs as they did with the Bruins. The lack of push back whether it be by scoring or just making some hits, stirring the pot and whatnot.

In a 5-1 game in the third against a rival- not to mention one we might be playing against in the playoffs soon, the last thing the team should be doing is killing the time remaining. A statement needed to be made and we fell short.

Nevermind the choke jobs of 08, 09, we all know what happened in 10, choke job in 11, and lets never speak of 12 again. But this year is different! This year our boy is at the top of his game and takes us all the way!

Geniuses as in idiots? So you like to call people names because they don’t agree with you and your opinion flowing from your infinitely deep pool of wisdom? What are you, smart guy, 12 or is that YOUR I.Q.?

So much crap hockey by the Habs last night ,there were 3 good things that happened. Prust had a go at McLaren and won by decision,Brewski got his First goal and I didn’t fall down and hurt myself.Saludos!!

Normally I don’t enjoy fighting, but in cases where you have this random non-fighter/wannabe tough guy running around like a rodent that doesn’t know what to do with its freedom… yeah, he needs a good pounding.

We’re going in the right direction, but i agree with most of you that there are quite a few holes in the lineup. The penalty killing needs to improve, although it has gotten better since we plucked Halpern from the waiver wire.

The goaltending has been good. Not great. Not bad. Petr Budaj, I think, has been an outstanding team player and is always ready when called upon. I’m glad he’s locked up for us. The team has 11% of its salaries tied up in goaltenders. Carey Price will find his game. For the most part, he’s fairly consistent. He hasn’t really stolen a game for us this year, and he’s maybe lost 2 or 3 this season.

The forwards are still small up front. Gionta, Gallagher, Desharnais are midgets out there, but they fight hard. We need some size and some grit up front. Michael Ryder brings the scoring touch, but he won’t crash and bang in the corners. He shys away from it. Max Paccioretty needs to hit more. Brandon Prust has been an enormous pickup this season. Money well spent. His work ethic is second to none.

The defense, in my opinion, is one of the deepest, 1-10 in the NHL. We have 4 defensemen who could jump into a top 6 position at any time. Kaberle will be bought out at season’s end, and it will free up some cap space for a scoring forward. Beaulieu will be here to stay next year, and hopefully they can find a spot for Tinordi, who didn’t look out of place in his stint with the big club this season.

I think that Weber, Drewiske, and Kaberle are not in the Canadiens’ plans after this season. Where or how they will be moved remains to be seen. I also think that Ryder will be on another team.

There are a few, not many, UFA’s in the offseason that MAY be worth looking at. Not sure what the situation with Nathan Horton is, but he may be worth making a run at.

What do you guys think?

If you see the Habs in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear! We will never quit!

Agree for the most part. The D, however, is too small with Emelin hurt. Playoff hockey is bruising and I’m worried how they will hold up. Last night is the perfect example of why Ryder won’t get signed. The team needs a more physical presence on the top 9 and he can’t provide it (even though I rather have him than Gionta). I will be shocked if MB does not bring in another power forward (Clarkson please).

Yes. With the hard hitting Emelin out, the Habs are way too small on the back end. Drewiske stepped in nicely thus far, but with Big E out, we are too small.

Clarkson was another guy I was thinking about. His production in the last half of this season has dropped off considerably though. He started the year on a tear, leading the league in goals at one point, but I think he only has one or two goals in his last 10-15 games. Not the consistency we’re looking for, but he is that big, physical presence that we lack.

I, too, would rather Ryder over Gionta, but I think Gionta is way better defensively than Ryder.

If you see the Habs in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear! Never quit!

A little worried about Horton’s concussion history. And I’d also be worried that the fans/media would look at him a the big/tough savior that would instantly turn us into a tough team when in reality he would only be a step in the right direction.

And ya, the future on defense looks good but this year and possibly next they’re way too small.

This isn’t about Price, it isn’t about Subban, it isn’t about Gallagher, Therrien, Pacioretty or any one individual on the team.

Last night convinced me that the Leafs are in the Habs’ heads. It isn’t a matter of a team like the Habs not being able to beat a team like the Leafs, it’s about an inability to keep their heads up and play hard and smart hockey against that team.

not sure if they are in the habs head or Price’s head. He always seems to stink vs them. I am a huge fan of Price and our success is fully tied with him but I feel for some reason the leafs have his number

Kadri has some Marchand in him. He’s a punk who will deliver late and dirty hits once the Leafs are up in scoring, and he can get away with it. His elbows were up high when he got Gallagher and Eller. He’s a guy who will take runs at people (runs being defined as going after vulnerable guys with the intent of hurting them whether they have the puck or not).

I don’t think PK takes runs at players – going for a big open ice hit on a puck carrier doesn’t count.

I honestly think the Habs are one of the cleanest teams in the league who are focused on playing hockey no matter what the score is, as opposed to the Leafs who take it upon themselves to try and beat up the other team when they’re winning decisively. If the Habs were up, they’d just focus on protecting the lead, and letting the game finish instead of then transitioning into the gooning phase.

Kadri asked about his hit on Gallagher – I caught him with his head down & gave a good clean hit & that’s why he ended up with an interference penalty on the hit. Earlier he almost got Gallagher with a fllying chicken wing but just missed just like Phaneuf did……

I mean, why even watch the game once you’re down so low to a team you have trouble beating (as sad as that is) when you know if you start a come-back they’ll just try to create concussions (or as their coach calls them “upper body booboos”.)

And yes there are SOME concerns about Price. Once he gets flustered, he’s gone. And as much as he is awesome 50-60% of the time… that other 40% is a real question mark. The rest of the team wasn’t exactly aces last night either.

This team may not be quite ready to truly compete. As someone posted below there are fast AND big teams out there (in the West mostly), but hey, we win a lot of games. So don’t freak.

DID YOU KNOW If Budaj had been in Nets it would have been a 2-1 loss D: we should blow up this whole team build it around Budaj and then get MAB, Gomez, Gainey, Gauthier and then fire our whole staff and let Dave MOrrisette and Pierre Mcguire run it and tade all our assests for guys like Fraser Macleran! ITS FOOL PROOF AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH

Now that I got that off my chest, it sucks that Toronto and The Islanders have had our number this year and yes Price was bad last night, but the last time the leafs did this we went on quite the tear so I won’t be worried just yet.

No, I doubt it would have…The Habs starting pinching and got caught numerous times..In a road game, usually the road team is the more tighter of the 2…If Price doesn’t let in 3 goals in 4 shots, it would have been a different story…Sorry, I don’t buy that argument that we still would have lost 2-1..

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Brandon Prust doesn’t have hair on his testicles, because hair does not grow on steel….

1) Leading up to the game, I was very vocal about the Leafs’ shot percentage. So what happens during the game? They do even better and get 4 goals on 5 shots! Henceforth, I shall be less vocal since, for whatever reason, worse things seem to happen when I harp on one point.

2) Getting 4 goals on 5 shots allowed the Leafs to stop thinking about hockey, and more about gooning and playing extremely physical. In other words, the game plan transitioned from humiliating the Habs on the scoreboard to dominating them physically. If the game had been close, the Habs wouldn’t have been outhit and outscored in such a bad way. As long as there is a hockey game going on, the Leafs can’t just focus on delivering hits.

A Patrick Roy comes around once a generation, maybe once every 2 generations and us Habs fans have always been spoiled with great goalies since the 1950s.

As great as Patrick was, I just want to throw this out to the Price haters and how sometimes a regular season can be misleading as to what to expect in the playoffs.

When Patrick Roy won the Cup with the Habs in 1993, (he was 27 years old-Price is now 25 years old) his season record was 31-15-5 with a season Save Percentage of .894 and a Goals Against Average of 3.20.
That SP and GAA were 8th best for regular goalies. Very good, but nothing special.
That year, the Habs finished 3rd in the Division and 4th in the Conference.

***During that season, Patrick had 3 games where he gave up 6 goals (Vancouver-Hartford-Quebec) and 11 other games when he gave up 5 goals. He was pulled out of games 4 times that season.

In the playoffs, he went 16-4 with 10 straight OT wins which is still a record today. His Save Percentage was .929 with a GAA of 2.13.

How does this post in any way make Maritime Ron a Roy hater? This is a post that provides perspective. He is trying to offer some insight.

You are slightly delusional if you think there are no Price haters on this site. There are people who post Budaj every time he gets scored on, that is not doubt, that is not constructive or insightful it is hatred.

No player on this team should be beyond criticism. Everyone knows that Carey deserved the criticism he got yesterday, he didn’t show up and it resulted in a very embarrassing loss for the Habs. However, some of the garbage posts that were on here last night were definitely posts of hatred. Posts about Price being on drugs, that he’s never showed up for a big game, that we should trade him immediately or some even suggesting we buy him out. That is beyond doubt.

Respectfully disagree.
Those 2 are leaders and warriors that are presently wrongly slotted. On a perfect team, Gorges is a 4-5 Dman that takes the 4 position when a top 4 is hurt. FB is a 6-7 Dman and moves to 6-5 for temporary injury relief.

I had a bad feeling prior to last night’s game for a couple of reasons:
Habs had just clinched a playoff spot Thursday and were probably due for a letdown;the Canadiens had won their previous 3 or 4 games in Toronto and the law of averages dictated that they were due to lose one there especially to a team that has been very hot recently but still hasn’t clinched a playoff spot.

Of more immediate concern is the record of the 2 goalies in Tor-Mtl games who will undoubtedly face each other if these 2 teams meet:

We’re over achieving this year, so who cares how we do in the playoffs because it’s all a bonus… Right? Wrong! How do you think the Islanders, Sens and Leafs feel? Even Washington came back out of no where. That’s 5 teams including us that are “just satisfied to make the playoffs.” So let’s forget this bonus crap and try to make a run.

> Basically, half the time he is excellent, the other half not so much.

THIS is EXACTLY the concern. A great point – and one that all the “Price is a star” optimism is missing. When he has a good game – which is probably the majority – he’s world class. But his bad games are MUCH more frequent than a ‘world class’ player should have.

Why? I think it’s between the ears. I think that under the cool exterior is a sometimes fragile interior. To me he’s more stoic than solid.

This is a completely fair and rational approach to criticizing Price. I agree that for some on here Price can do no wrong, however you have to acknowledge that the opposite is true and there are also many who act as if Carey can do nothing right.

It is obvious that Price needs to work on his consistency. There are nights where it looks like there is no better goalie in the league. When he is in the zone he makes every save look easy, he competes hard for every puck yet barely breaks a sweat because he is incredibly technically sound. However there are many nights when Price is a little off and he will let in that soft goal that he really shouldn’t have.

Two years ago when he broke the habs record for starts in a season we saw the kind of player Price can be when he is focused in every game and I think there is no reason why he can’t get back to being that player. Even last season when the team around him was pitiful Price was the main reason we ever won any games and was stellar while often facing 35-40 shots a game.

There is nothing wrong with doubting Price but I find it a bit ridiculous that some people on this board can’t admit that in many games Price plays very well. Consistency is definitely an issue but it can be worked on. No reason to spew hatred every time he has a bad game it is in the best interest of the Montreal Canadiens for Price to be on top of his game and last I checked we are all fans of the Canadiens.